


The Return

by gijane7702



Series: To Lose The Earth [5]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Announcement, Babyfic, Babyfic-ish, Beyerverse, Christmastime, F/M, Family Reunions, Relaunch Novels fic, Romance, To Lose The Earth SPOILERS, fluffy fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gijane7702/pseuds/gijane7702
Summary: Two and a half years after Voyager crossed the galactic barrier, they return home
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway, Seven of Nine/Hugh Cambridge, Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Series: To Lose The Earth [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995586
Comments: 36
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to elephant for the beta and the suggestions 
> 
> This is going to be three short(ish) parts/chapters

> “You want to take  _ Voyager _ out there, don’t you?”
> 
> Chakotay smiled. “I think this ship has already done extraordinary things, but her best days are still ahead of her, if we have the courage to make it so.” 
> 
> “‘We’?”
> 
> “Yes,” Chakotay said simply.
> 
> To Lose The Earth
> 
> Ch 20
> 
> Pg 323

  
  


Starfleet Communications

San Francisco, California, Earth 

Stardate 61234 

(12 March 2385, 0830hrs)

~~ Two and a half years after  _ Voyager  _ crossed the galactic barrier ~~

The last of the elementary school children from Archer Academy was finally gathered in the main room of Starfleet Communications. Their tour of the facility is just about to begin when a small communications beacon, sitting unobtrusively in the corner of the room, begins blinking. 

All the Starfleet personnel turn simultaneously to look at it. The tour guide quickly hushes the students as one of the senior engineers steps over and activates it.

“This is Starfleet Communications … Commander Barclay speaking. Please proceed.” 

There is a short burst of static, then silence. Barclay waves up at the admiral’s office door and a young lieutenant runs off to alert their commanding officer. After another burst of static, a voice comes from the beacon. 

_ “This is Admiral Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship  Voyager  … Reg, is that you? … It’s nice to be in the same galaxy again!” _

A grin splits wide across Reg Barclay’s face. “Admiral Janeway … It’s nice to hear from you.” He pauses as he sees not only his commanding officer but also the Commander-In-Chief of Starfleet making a beeline towards him. “Welcome home … again … _ Voyager _ . Here is Admiral Akaar.” 

“Can we get her on screen?” Akaar asks Barclay. 

"Give me a few moments for a visual, please," is the answer. Barclay steps over to a console, punches a few buttons, then reports, "Their data is already downloading."

The C-in-C nods and continues to speak, "Welcome home,  _ Voyager _ . We're receiving your datastream now. We'll speak more on that later because we have a tour from Archer Academy present. Anything you can tell them about the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy?"

"Admiral, I have a visual now," Barclay calls.

He nods and after a few moments, Admiral Janeway, standing in the center of the Bridge of  _ Voyager  _ appears on the large screen. Before the C-in-C can say anything, there is a large burst of excited chatter from the students and cheers from the Starfleet personnel. 

_"Hello from the Delta Quadrant,_ " she says to them, smiling indulgently as the students yell their greetings back to her while the chaperones try to quiet them. 

"Auntie Admiral!" Miral Paris bellows as she shifts her way through her classmates and pushes past the C-in-C. "You're home!" Before Janeway can answer her, Miral turns back and yells, "Mommy, look! Auntie Admiral, Uncle Tay, Uncle Harry, and  _ Voyager _ are home!"

Janeway can't suppress her smirk at B'Elanna's loud sigh. The engineer joins her daughter, clasping her hand on Miral's shoulder. The girl immediately knows that she's in trouble and giggles nervously. 

"Miral,  _ sweetie _ , was Auntie … er, Admiral Janeway speaking to Admiral Akaar?" 

"Ummmm … yeah." Miral looks up at the towering Capellan and grins at him. "Sorry, Admiral … I’m just excited about Auntie being home."

Akaar smiles down at Miral. "It's quite alright, Miss Paris," he tells her, mussing her hair. "We're all excited  _ Voyager _ is home."

_"Hello, Miral,"_ Janeway says. The little girl beams at her godmother. _"Me and Uncle Tay … and Uncle Harry … and everyone … have missed you and Michael so much!"_ B'Elanna crosses her arms and arches an eyebrow at her former commanding officer. _"And Mommy and Daddy as well …_ I suppose _." _

Miral giggles at Janeway's overexaggerated sigh. Before the admiral can say anything else, a loud belch erupts from behind her. Janeway tries, but fails miserably, to suppress her grin.

Miral's eyes are wide as she asks, "Who was that?" 

The admiral steps aside towards the Helm and a giggling Ensign Gwyn to reveal Captain Chakotay sitting in his command chair. _"It wasn't me,"_ he says, then points to his lap. 

There is a five-month-old with a mop of jet-black curls and big brown eyes that he just finished burping. The baby boy turns towards the viewscreen at the loud surprised noises and cheers. His smile reveals dimples identical to his father's. Pointing to the people on the viewscreen, he begins to babble baby nonsense to Chakotay for a moment, then stops suddenly. He looks up at his father with wide eyes then proceeds to spit up all over Chakotay's trousers.

_"I've told you to use a bib and burp cloth repeatedly,"_ Janeway says to Chakotay, smirking as her husband reaches over for the cloth on her command seat to wipe his uniform up. 

"Auntie Admiral … did you have a baby?" Miral shrieks, cutting off Chakotay's retort. 

"He looks more like a clone," B'Elanna drawls. "There's no Janeway there that I can see …"

Janeway shoots her a glare. _"Oh, I know he's half mine. I have nine hours of labor as proof."_ B'Elanna and Chakotay laugh. " _Admirals, everyone, meet Crewman Kolopak Edward Janeway. Everyone calls him Kole. I call him Surprise … since he was one."_ B'Elanna laughs and Akaar grins as Kole shrieks happily, seemingly knowing his mother is talking about him.

Walking up to Janeway, Chakotay passes the baby off to her. _"'Surprise' is an understatement,"_ he says to her, winking. 

She laughs her agreement. _“A happy surprise though.”_

_“A very happy surprise,”_ Chakotay agrees, smiling dimples-deep at her. To the viewscreen, he adds _, "Admirals, everyone, if you'll excuse me, I have to go clean up. Perhaps I should listen to my wife about the bibs and burp towels … ?"_

"Absolutely. Listening to your wife is Rule Number …" Akaar catches Janeway and B'Elanna's cocked eyebrows and stops. Clearing his throat, he commands, "Yes, Captain, go tidy up. Admiral Janeway can give a condensed report while you do." 

Chakotay nods, plants a kiss on his son's head, winks at his wife again, then heads off towards his Ready Room. 

"I can't wait to hear Kole's story," Akaar tells Janeway. She flashes him a smile as she rubs her baby's back soothingly. "How is Lieutenant Kim's child? A girl … correct?"

Janeway turns towards Tactical. _"Lieutenant?"_ she prompts Harry.

_"Hello,"_ Harry calls, walking up to the viewscreen after being relieved. He stops beside Janeway, holding onto the back of the helmsman's chair. _"Yes … a daughter. Rose Kathryn Kim."_ He pauses as B'Elanna shrieks, then abruptly stops, then looks around. _"Hi, B'Elanna … yeah, that was you."_

"Klingons _do_ _not_ shriek," B'Elanna says in a dignified tone. But her grin belays her words. "Hello, Harry. Tom and I have missed you."

"And me and Michael, Mommy!" Miral yelps. To the screen she yells, "Hi, Uncle Harry!"

_"Miral, look how big you are! I can't wait for Rose to meet you and Michael."_ He looks at Janeway and adds, _"We'll even let Kole come play too."_

"But he's just a baby," the little girl whines. 

_"But he's mine and Uncle Tay's baby,"_ Janeway points out to her. 

"I suppose …" Miral concedes. "Michael can play with him. I'll play with Rose." 

_"Rose just turned two … she's kind of a baby still,"_ Harry tells her.

_"Just don't tell Rose that,"_ Aytar Gwyn quips. _"Kole is now the ship's baby … she's the_ big girl _."_ At B'Elanna's inquisitive eyebrow Aytar adds, _"Rose is two going on twenty."_

The engineer laughs knowingly, pointing down at her daughter above her head. "Oh, yes … I understand that completely." 

The doors to the captain's Ready Room open and Chakotay walks out, now clean. _"Report done? What sort of questions have the students asked?"_ he queries. 

Akaar laughs as a guilty look spreads across Janeway's face. "We were just letting everyone catch up, Captain. Official stuff can come later. The students have been waiting patiently. So … Admiral Janeway …"

_"Does anyone have any questions?"_ Janeway asks Miral's classmates. She smiles as every single hand shoots into the air. _"OK, then. Let's start in the back and work our way forward. Your question, young lady in the pink shirt …?"_


	2. Chapter 2

Docking Bay 15

McKinley Station 

Two months later

“Seven!” Phoebe Janeway bellows, catching a glimpse of the former Borg drone in the massive crowd of _Voyager_ officers and crewmen disembarking from the recently docked ship. “Over here!”

The statuesque blonde fights her way over through the crowd followed by a tall lanky middle-aged officer in a Science blue uniform. She sighs in relief as she reaches her admiral’s sister and mother, nestled in an alcove of the station’s walls. Each of them welcomes her home. Seven goes to speak, but she’s cut off by a posh, British accent.

“It’s absolutely, bloody bonkers out here,” the lieutenant clips out. “I should have stayed on board.” 

“I told you that you didn't have to follow me,” Seven replies. She turns and faces the Janeway ladies. With her back to him, she rolls her eyes. Phoebe chokes on the sip of coffee she had just swallowed while Gretchen Janeway laughs.

“Don’t roll your eyes about me, Seven of Nine,” he tells her. “You know what that means.”

“Don’t psychoanalyze me, Hugh,” she quips back. He grins. To the Janeway ladies, she says, “Phoebe, Mrs … Gretchen … may I introduce Counselor Hugh Cambridge.” 

After introducing Phoebe and Gretchen to Hugh, Seven says, “The admiral and captain are still on board. They knew it would be insane out here and asked me to meet you. Of course then Crewman Janeway decided it was the perfect time for dinner. They’re waiting for me to escort you to their quarters.”

“We would have remembered how to get there on our own eventually, Seven,” Mrs Janeway tells her as they begin picking their way through the crowd. “You’re postponing your leave.” She suppresses a smile when the counselor grumbles something under his breath. 

“Ignore him,” Seven tells her. “I usually do.” 

Phoebe laughs loudly, which draws the attention of one of _Voyager’s_ security officers. He bellows for the crowd to make a hole for them, which they do, and the group boards the ship with no more impediment. Phoebe flashes the officer a smile before he disappears from sight.

“You know we stopped at Trebus and picked up the captain’s mother and sister?” Cambridge asks as they walk down the corridor to the turbolift.

“Yes, Katie told us in her last transmission,” Mrs Janeway answers as she, Phoebe, and Seven board the turbolift. The counselor doesn’t join them.

“Please pick my bag up from my quarters and I shall meet you at yours,” Seven commands him as the doors hiss closed. “Deck Three,” she tells the turbolift. 

“Yes, dear,” Cambridge yells loudly as they take off. 

“I like him,” Phoebe says to Seven as they speed along.

“So do I,” she replies. 

“But don’t tell him that … you have to keep him on his toes,” Mrs Janeway quips.

“Precisely.” Seven smirks as Phoebe laughs. 

When the doors open, Seven steps out, then takes a left, heading forward. She stops suddenly after about twenty meters and exclaims, “Rose Kim … have you escaped from your father and Aytar _again_?”

Mrs Janeway and Phoebe peer around Seven. An adorable toddler is standing alone in the middle of the corridor, looking back guiltily. She has straight shoulder-length black hair with large almond shaped eyes. Dressed in a pink frilly dress and Mary Jane shoes, she is the absolute picture of innocence. 

Rose doesn't answer, but grins up naughtily up at Seven, her dark eyes twinkling. The former drone shakes her head and purses her lips, trying not to laugh. 

Harry Kim comes rushing around the corner. “Rose!” he yells. “I looked away for _two_ _seconds_!”

“Go, Daddy!” the little girl demands as Aytar Gwyn catches up with them. “Go, Tar!” 

“I guess we’re going,” Harry rolls his eyes at Seven as Rose takes one of his hands. “It’s nice to see you again, Mrs Janeway. Ms Janeway.” He jerks forward as his daughter and Aytar begin to move down the corridor. “We’ll see you soon,” he calls, following along behind them. “At the party!”

“Bye, Harry,” Phoebe calls as she, Seven, and her mother continue down the corridor. “Cute kid,” she yells loudly after him. 

They finally arrive at the Captain’s Quarters. “I shall leave you here,” Seven tells them. “Hugh and I will see you at the vow renewal.” She nods at them, then marches off.

Phoebe and her mother exchange glances. “They’re a perfect pair,” they say in unison. 

Mrs Janeway laughs as she hits the chime. The doors open practically immediately to reveal Chakotay. Phoebe squeals, then throws herself into his arms. He grins as he catches her and hugs her close. “I’ve missed you too,” he says gruffly, squeezing her a little tighter. "And … though Kathryn’s told me … I've just really realized where Kole's curls come from." He bounces one of Phoebe's curls. 

“Poor kid!” Phoebe tells him as he lets her go, chuckling, to hug his mother-in-law. “And there’s my sister," she says, grinning. "Doing the one thing I thought I would never see her do. Ow!” she exclaims as her mother smacks her arm, then pushes past her.

Kathryn Janeway, sitting on the couch nursing her seven-month-old son looks up, grinning. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Phee. Come meet Kole.” 

“Where’s your mother and sister, Chakotay?” Phoebe asks him as they cross the cabin to the viewports where the couch is located.

“They wanted you to have your reunion and meeting since they had theirs. They’re in their quarters. I’ll comm them in a bit to join us,” he tells her. 

“That’s so sweet of them,” Mrs Janeway tells him. Chakotay beams. “I can’t wait to see your mother again … we have just a few things to finalize for your vow renewal ceremony and the reception.” 

“ _Oh_ _joy_ ,” Janeway mumbles under her breath. Mrs. Janeway shoots her a glare. Chakotay chuckles at the exchange as he throws himself into the armchair. 

Kole detaches himself from his mother’s breast and watches warily as Mrs Janeway and Phoebe approach. Phoebe stops right in front of her sister and squats down. Mrs Janeway places a kiss on her older daughter’s head then smiles down at her grandson. 

Kole isn’t sure who to look at, so he instead squawks as his mother starts buttoning up her maternity top. She looks down at him and says, “Eat. Don’t eat. Pick one.” He turns to look fully at Phoebe, so Janeway finishes buttoning up. “You have some chicken and carrots left over if you’re hungry later,” she tells her son.

“He’s on solid food,” Mrs Janeway comments.

"Diced or mashed up, but yes. He’s hitting his milestones a few weeks earlier than average,” Kole’s mother tells hers proudly. 

“Of course Katie has a genius baby!” Phoebe rolls her eyes at Chakotay, who laughs and grins, dimples flashing. 

Kole, following the exchange as if he understands, looks up at his grandmother and grins. 

“You have your Daddy’s dimples,” Gretchen sighs happily, holding her hands out to him.

He looks at his mother, then his father. Both nod encouragingly. Kole holds his hands out and Mrs Janeway picks him up gently. “He’s heavier than he looks,” she says to her older daughter, grunting slightly. 

“Same as his Daddy,” Kathryn quips, standing up and hugging her sister tightly. Chakotay chuckles when she blows him a kiss over Phoebe’s shoulder. 

Kole suddenly starts pointing at his grandmother’s face. He turns and babbles at his mother. Kathryn still looks perplexed as she tries to figure out what her son is trying to tell her when Chakotay exclaims, “Gretchen has the exact same color eyes as you, Kathryn. And you look alike." 

She releases Phoebe and goes to stand next to her mother. Kole looks from his mother to his grandmother and back, then over at his father. Chakotay hauls himself up, walks over, and stands next to Janeway. 

“Nanna,” he tells Kole, pointing as his mother-in-law. “Mamma,” he says, pointing at his wife.

Kole looks his mother dead in the eye and says, “Numnums.”

“Did he just call you ‘Numnums’,” Phoebe asks her sister, clearly trying to keep a straight face. 

“Yes,” Kathryn says in an aggravated voice. 

Kole and his grandmother giggle. 

“That’s just a few days new,” Chakotay tells his sister-in-law, not making eye contact with her because he knows he’ll burst out laughing. He grunts when his wife elbows him in the diaphragm because she knows what he's thinking. “He was baby babbling ‘numnumnums’ but Kathryn turned around, picked him up, and proceeded to feed him. He figured it out on his own apparently ‘cause he did again a few hours later and so did she. He’s got her pretty much trained now.” Chakotay chuckles at the glare his wife shoots him.. "Sekaya almost choked on her dinner when he did it their first night on board."

Mrs Janeway snickers.

“Not a word, Phoebe,” Kathryn tells her, taking Kole from his grandmother and handing him to her sister. “Not a word,” she repeats to Phoebe in her command voice.

Phoebe looks at Kole. He looks back. They both grin. 

Phoebe looks at her sister and says, “Whatever you say, Numnums.” 

Kole laughs.

Kathryn groans.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a bit ... The Muse is on her way to Hiatus ... I forced her to finish this

Janeway Family Farmstead

Bloomington, Indiana, Earth

Stardate 64713 

(25 December 2388) 

~~Three-and-half-years years later~~ 

  
  


A shaft of sunlight peeking through a small gap in the curtains wakes Janeway for the second time that morning. Since he had been born and raised in space for almost the first year of his life, four-year-old Kole wakes with the sunrise. Sometimes, not all the time, thankfully, he climbs out of bed and putters down the hallway to his parents’ room to crawl into bed with them. This morning he had, climbing up and over his mother, waking her up, to nestle in between them. 

Janeway rolls over onto her side and smiles at her two boys. Father and son are in identical poses: on their backs, right hand throw over their heads, left hand on their stomachs. Both are snoring gently. She snuggles up to Kole, who sleepily swats her away. Janeway chuckles softly, then pokes his belly. Her son grunts, then rolls over and snuggles into his father's side. Janeway scoots over, following him, then places a soft kiss on the top of his head.

“You’re tempting fate there, Kathryn,” Chakotay whispers. “He’s quiet right now … he won’t be later with everyone here … leave him be.”

Janeway looks up into her husband’s face. He has one eye cracked open and is smiling down at her. “Spoilsport,” she whispers back. “I’m going to spend all the alone time I can with him --”

“Go sleep, Mommy,” Kole grumbles, rolling onto his stomach. 

Both his parents silently laugh at him as he snorts then falls back to sleep. Janeway gets out of bed. Chakotay follows her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. She kisses him good morning passionately. He returns her kisses enthusiastically. They eventually lead to shared shower naughtiness.

“Happy Christmas, my love,” he tells her a while later as he towels her off, kissing his way up her glowing body until he reaches her lips. There he captures them in a searing kiss. 

“Happy --” Janeway begins.

“-- Mommy!” Kole yells from the bedroom.

“Why does he always call for me first?” she mutters. Chakotay laughs as he wraps a towel around his hips. 

“Daddy!” their son screams.

Chakotay wraps Janeway up in a towel, kisses her lips one last time, then yells back, “We’re in the bathroom, Kole.” He grins sheepishly and tugs his ear when she giggles at him. 

  
  


There’s a thud followed by what sounds like a herd of elephants crossing the room. “I found you,” Kole yells as he throws open the bathroom door. He grins dimples-deep at his parents. 

“You sure did,” Janeway drawls sarcastically. 

Chakotay chuckles at the outraged glare Kole shoots at his mother. Before their son can retort, his father scoops him up and walks into the bedroom. “Wanna see if anyone else is awake?” he asks Kole, setting him down.

“Yes!” he shouts, running to the door. Ripping it open, Kole bellows into the hallway, “Auntie Phee! Auntie Kaya! It’s Christmas! Wake up!”

“Auntie Phee isn’t here right now,” Phoebe yells back. A shout of laughter comes from Sekaya’s room. “Try again later, Kole!” 

Janeway and Chakotay scramble to get into pajamas as they hear numerous doors opening down the hallway and on the floor above. Kole has become everyone's wake-up alarm. Almost everyone. Someone, or ones, are already awake, given the aromas of coffee and breakfast wafting up the stairs. 

Phoebe gives her sister and brother-in-law a knowing smirk over her shoulder as she and Sekaya are dragged past their bedroom and down the hallway by Kole.

“Your shirt’s done up wrong, Katie,” Sekaya says as she follows Kole down the stairs. She laughs as Janeway looks down to check and then again as Chakotay sighs knowingly. 

“Dammit,” his wife mutters. 

“You fall for it every time, my love,” he reminds her. “Let’s go before Kole rips everything open and we miss it.” 

Hand in hand they make their way to the living room. _Voyager’s_ original senior staff and their spouses have gathered together for the tenth anniversary of their return home from the Delta Quadrant. Everyone has beaten them downstairs, calling greetings of either ‘Happy Christmas’ or ‘Good Morning’, as their command team enters the living room. 

Under the huge Christmas tree, Kole is indeed tearing into every present that Phoebe hands him. Rose Kim and Miral and Michael Paris are right beside him doing the same with their respective parents. 

Aytar Gwyn is on clean-up duty, gathering all the wrappings and ribbons to be recycled. Tananka, Sekaya, Gretchen, Tuvok and T’Pel, Seven and Hugh are spread out all over the living sipping coffee or tea and eating from the huge buffet that has been set out. The Doctor is snapping holos. 

After getting cups of tea and some food, Janeway and Chakotay cuddle up together on a couch across from Seven and Hugh. Kole immediately runs over to show them an armful of his presents, dumping them in his mother’s lap. Chakotay gives him a stern look before Janeway begins exclaiming excitedly over the pile. 

Tom is now in charge of distributing the adults’ gifts, with the children acting as curriers. Eventually, the gigantic pile under the tree is dispersed. Everyone is examining their gifts and it is a while longer before someone finally notices.

“There’s no presents from you and Chakotay,” Gretchen says to her older daughter. “There’s ones from Kole … but not you two.” 

Chakotay nods his thanks as The Doctor hands him a holoimager. Janeway calls Kole over. When he’s nestled in her arms, she says to him, “Do you want to help Mommy and Daddy give everyone their gifts from them?”

“Yes!” he shrieks, all excited because they had been practicing this. Chakotay can’t help his grin.

“And what’s everyone’s present, sweetheart?” Janeway prompts him.

“There’s a baby in Mommy’s belly,” Kole yells, pointing at his mother’s stomach. He grins as he's so pleased with himself.

There’s a moment of silence, then bursts of yells and whistles and cheers from everyone. It takes Chakotay a few moments to calm everyone down. When they do, he turns to his son and says gently, “What’s in Mommy’s belly?” 

“Oh no!” Kole yelps. “ _Babies_ in Mommy’s belly!” He looks disappointed that he got it wrong. " _Two babies_."

But before he can begin to cry, his mother cuddles him in her arms, whispering at what a wonderful job he did. 

Chakotay ruffles his son’s curls, then hands Kole the holoimager. He activates it. Two holoimages shimmer into the air above all their heads. The foetuses have jet-black hair and golden skin, just like their brother. One is slightly smaller than the other. There’s another moment of silence before all hell breaks loose. 

Gretchen fights her way over to Kathryn. Chakotay takes Kole from her and sets him down so she can hug her mother. Gripping her daughter tight, she whisperingly asks, “Everything is ok? No problems?”

“They’re both fine,” Janeway answers, seeing the trepidation in her mother's eyes. “The boy is on the small side, but he’s developing just fine. His sister on the other hand is perfect.” 

“A girl!” Gretchen begins to cry. “And a boy. And they’re healthy. I’m so happy for you and Chakotay, my baby! How are you?” She hugs Kathryn close again. 

“I’m fine. Fourteen weeks … so past the first trimester. Doc says everything looks good,” Kathryn tells her, understanding her mother's fretting. “They’re in there to stay.”

“Til Eviction Day,” Phoebe says as her mother moves aside to fuss over Kole. She hugs her sister tight. “Then you’ve got three kids under the age of five.”

Chakotay, being hugged by Sekaya, turns around with a look of horror on his face. His sister and sister-in-law laugh at him. “Didn’t realize that, brother?” Sekaya asks him, her voice full of mirth.

“Three … under five …” he says to his wife in a stunned voice. 

As if on cue, Kole vomits his breakfast onto his father’s slippers. He immediately begins to cry for Kathryn, holding his hands out to her. Phoebe picks him instead, which ratchets up his wails. 

Kathryn looks stricken, unable to hold him, as he reaches out for her. Tananka appears out of nowhere and plucks Kole from his aunt’s arms. She kisses her son and daughter-in-law’s cheeks then walks away soothing her grandson. 

“Three under five,” Chakotay repeats to Janeway.

"You had no problem making them, my warrior." She smirks when he blushes. "One plus two equals three."

"We can do this … right?" he asks.

"I think we can ..." Janeway replies, a questioning tone in her voice. Her husband's eyes go panicking wide.

“How the hell did you two led a starship to a whole other galaxy and back?” Phoebe teases. Sekaya snorts her laughter. 

"We _can_ do this!" Janeway announces. Her well-known determined look settles on her face. "Challenge accepted."

Chakotay looks relieved.


End file.
